The original version of this paper contained inaccurate statements regarding the composition and potential environmental impacts of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean. Comprehensive studies by Berman et al. (Reference Berman, Harrigan, Riordan, Nemeth, Hanson, Smith, Sorbet, Zhu and Ridley2010, Reference Berman, Harrigan, Nemeth, Oliveira, Berger and Tagliaferro2011) in the United States, Brazil and Argentina have demonstrated the compositional equivalence of MON 87701 × MON 89788 to conventional soybean across all of these regions and growing seasons. Any statistical differences between the test material and its corresponding soybean control were generally small in magnitude, and all test mean values for these components were within the 99% tolerance interval determined from commercial soybean varieties. Berman et al. (Reference Berman, Harrigan, Nemeth, Oliveira, Berger and Tagliaferro2011) did not find any unexpected effects of transgene insertion on the composition of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean. Similarly, hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis of compositional data generated on MON 87701 and MON 89788 soybean seed grown in the northern and southern regions of Brazil during the 2007–2008 season demonstrated that cultivation in different regions contributes more than genetic modification to compositional differences (Harrigan et al., Reference Harrigan, Lundry, Drury, Berman, Riordan, Nemeth, Ridley and Glenn2010). While differences in mean values of test and control fatty acids and isoflavones were either statistically insignificant (P ≥ 0.05) or of small relative magnitude, there were large differences in the fatty acid and isoflavone profiles of the two region-specific controls.
Therefore the sentences in the original version of the paper that attributed differences in S. eridania development to changes in composition of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean (second, sixth and seventh paragraphs in the Discussion section, pages 4 and 5) did not reflect the available scientific evidence (Berman et al., Reference Berman, Harrigan, Riordan, Nemeth, Hanson, Smith, Sorbet, Zhu and Ridley2010, 2011; Harrigan et al., Reference Harrigan, Lundry, Drury, Berman, Riordan, Nemeth, Ridley and Glenn2010). The small observed differences in S. eridania development are likely due to differences in the genetic background of the soybean materials evaluated.
MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean expressing Cry1Ac protein has efficacy against the most important soybean lepidopteran pests in Brazil (MacRae et al., Reference MacRae, Baur, Boethel, Fitzpatrick, Gao, Gamundi, Harrison, Kabuye, Mcpherson, Miklos, Paradise, Toedebusch and Viegas2005; Miklos et al., Reference Miklos, Alibhai, Bledig, Connor-Ward, Gao, Holmes, Gao, Holmes, Kolacz, Kabuye, MacRae, Paradise, Toedebusch and Harrison2007; Bernardi et al., Reference Bernardi, Malvestiti, Dourado, Oliveira, Martinelli, Berger, Head and Omoto2012, Reference Bernardi, Dourado, Carvalho, Martinelli, Berger, Head and Omoto2013). Some secondary insect pests such as S. eridania are not controlled by the technology because of low susceptibility to the Cry1Ac protein (Luttrell et al., Reference Luttrell, Wan and Knighten1999; Sivasupramaniam et al., Reference Sivasupramaniam, Moar, Ruschke, Osborn, Jiang, Sebaugh, Brown, Shappley, Oppenhuizen, Mullins and Greenplate2008; Bernardi et al., Reference Bernardi, Sorgatto, Barbosa, Domingues, Dourado, Carvalho, Martinelli, Head and Omoto2014). It was partly for this reason that S. eridania was used as a model to assess the impact of MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean on the parasitoid Telenomus remus. The current study indicated that MON 87701 × MON 89788 soybean had no adverse tritrophic effects on T. remus.
Therefore the Abstract has been amended as follows to reflect the available scientific data:
Genetically modified crops with insect resistance genes from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt-plants) are increasingly being cultivated worldwide. Therefore, it is critical to improve our knowledge of their direct or indirect impact not only on target pests but also on non-target arthropods. Hence, this study evaluates comparative leaf consumption and performance of Spodoptera eridania (Cramer), a species that is tolerant of the Cry1Ac protein, fed with Bt soybean, MON 87701 × MON 89788 or its near non-Bt isoline. Using this species as a model, we assessed the comparative performance of the egg parasitoid Telenomus remus Nixon on eggs of S. eridania produced from individuals that fed on these two soybean genotypes as larvae. Results showed that Bt soybean did not affect pest foliage consumption, but did reduce larval duration by two days despite larvae in both treatments having six instars. Nevertheless, survival of S. eridania larvae, pupal weight, sex ratio, fecundity and longevity of female moths, and egg viability did not differ between Bt and non-Bt soybeans. Adult longevity of S. eridania males was increased when caterpillars were fed with Bt soybean versus the near isoline. No adverse effects of this technology were observed for the egg parasitoid T. remus.
This Corrigendum has been approved for publication by all authors of the original paper.